Polaneczky: 'Memoirs' not just a coming of age tale

The Kid Reader

Posted: Sunday, April 11, 2010

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Naomi Porter isn't ignorant to the fact that she's adopted. In fact, everybody knows. And she doesn't like orphan stories; they're all the same. Naomi was found in an empty old typewriter case in a Russian Eastern Orthodox Church when she was a tiny baby.

She was then adopted by a couple from New York. When she's in high school, she trips and hits her head at the bottom of the stairs.

Now she has to live life with her friends, boyfriend, teachers and even a sister who she doesn't remember.

Gabrielle Zevin's "Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac" is a story about young love, friendship and coming of age. Zevin, author of another one of my favorites "Elsewhere," describes everything perfectly, to the very last detail.

The way she writes and puts everything into perspective is always incredibly relatable for me - the way she illustrates even the most elaborate moments and feelings her characters have is still always understandable.

The book is touching, comedic and inspiring, and has made me want to read even more of her novels. Ages 10-16.

• Grace is 11 years old and lives in Athens. Read more reviews on Grace's blog, If You Give a Kid A Bookie, at www.123readwithme.blogspot.com.